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BeHziGEi^DRas. 



CHURCH ORNAMENTS. 



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SILVERSMITHS ART 



AND 



ECCLESIASTICAL METAL M^ORK 



AT ITS HOME 



BENZIGER BROTHERS FACTORY 



DE KALB AVE. & ROCKWELL PLACE, BROOKLYN, N. Y. 



Ipontifical llnstitutc wX-J^-)'^. °* Cbristfan Bet 



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Benziger Brothers' Salesrooms 

New York, 36 & 38 Barclay Street 

Cincinnati, 143 Main Street 

Chicago, 178 Monroe Street 




Copyright, 1894, by Benziger Brothers. 



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It was in 1864 that we took charge of a small silver- 
smiths' shop on one floor of a building in Fulton Street. New 
York, and began on our own account the manufacture of 
Church goods, for these goods had been made for us in this 
country as far back as 1853. 

Ours was not a very extensive establishment in those 
days, being confined to the manufacture of gold and silver 
goods on a small scale, but it was the nucleus of our present 
factory. 

The new branch gave fresh impetus to our business, and 
we applied ourselves to it with all our energy, and when. 
in 1871. we found it had grown too large for its quarters 
we rented the buildings 43 and- 45 Dey Street. Twenty years 
later we still further enlarged the business by beginning the manu- 
facture of candlesticks, candelabra, and similar metal goods, and as 
this required a foundry, we were again obliged to move. Even then, 
in 1891, we had fully made up our minds to erect a suitable 
building for our work, but as that could not be done in a day. 

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we hired, for the time, the additional premises 38 
Dey Street, where we occupied all the lofts. 

In March, 1894, our new factory, De Kalb 
Avenue and Rockwell Place, Brooklyn, was finished. 
The illustration of the building will give some 
idea of its spaciousness. As it was designed and 
planned expressly for our use and is equipped 
with the latest improved machinery, it will be 
seen that we have all the facilities for manu- 
facturing to advantage every article in our line. 
There are three separate departments in our 
factory, viz • 

The Goldsmiths' and Silversmiths'. 

Ecclesiastical Metal Work, 

The Manufacturing of Gold and Silver Medals. 

In the hope of interesting our friends, we 
give in the following pages a description of the 
several kinds of arts and trades carried on in our 
Brooklyn works. 

We take this opportunity to thank the many 
friends who have favored us with their orders in 
the past, and to bespeak for our home industry a 
continuance of their patronage. Our aim has 
always been, and ever will be, to give entire 
satisfaction in all we sell, both in price and in 
the quality, artistic and mechanical, of our work. 



Designing and Modeling. 



The first step in the manufacture of ornamental 
work of any description is a good design, and the great 
essential for a good design is a competent artist. 

Come with us into our designing room, and peep 
over the shoulders of those engaged there. Here, 
apart from all disturbing elements and surrounded 
rl^ by works of art from which to drink in inspiration, 
.^.,/'"'' each is busy at his specialty. This one, a 

man of creative genius, is absorbed on a 
' first rough sketch destined finally to develop, 
under the cunning fingers of the skilled 
silversmith, into a beautiful ostensorium. 
Another is engaged on a finished drawing 
which exhibits carefully every little detail of 
an exquisite crozier. A third, less of the 
-^..^u^M T> artist and more of the mathematician, with 

\ \ square and compass close at hand, gives his 

-SKETCHING. attcntlon to what is known as a "working drawing," 
which represents every piece of the finished work in its actual size, 




\ 




flODELING 



the 
unt 



from the boldest parts to the 
tiniest screw used in its con- 
struction. Still another, with no 
guide but the flat drawing 
before him, its rounded parts dis- 
tinguished from the others merely 
by the difference in light and shade, 
is modeling in wax the figure of an angel 
to be used on a candelabrum. How deftly he works 
yielding mass, now with his fingers, again with a small tool, 
beneath his magic touch the shapeless lump assumes sym- 
metry and form ! 

In modeling, wax is used when delicacy and minuteness are 
required, as in the intricate and artistic forms peculiar to the 
work of the goldsmith and the silversmith. But for large 
models, which admit of more freedom in their manipula- 
tion, clay is employed. 

Apart from the constant production of new designs for 
our regular stock goods, which is necessary if we 
would keep abreast with the times, much of 
the work on which our artists are engaged 
is for special orders. Our facilities for 
executing these are unlimited, and our 
success in this line is attested not only 
by many unsolicited testimonials, but 
by that unfailing sign of approval : repeated 
orders. 

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DESIGNING. 



(Bolt) anb Sn\>er5mitb6' '2)cpartment. 



And now if our friends will follow us we shall be happy to 
show them over our shops, and explain the many and varied 
processes carried on there. 

Next to gold, silver is the finest and the most malleable of 
all metals. While harder than gold, yet in a pure state it is so 
soft that it can be easily cut with a knife. This makes it 
necessary, in manufacturing, to combine it with some other and 
harder metal which adds strength. 

In casting the precious metals great care is taken that no part 
be wasted. For this reason a foundry is set apart for their use, 
and here by means of a gas furnace the gold and silver, alloyed 
with a small proportion of other metals, are moulded into ingots or 
cast into statuettes and delicate ornaments. As in the other depart- 
ments, where the precious metals are worked, every tiny scraping is 
saved — even the sweepings of the floor, mixed though they are with 
dirt — and by refining brought back to its former pure state. 
An important factor in the manufacture of all metal 
goods, and among the first machines to which we would 
call attention, are the Rolling Presses, into which thick 
strips of metal are fed. While their simplicity and effi- 
ciency render them liable to catch the eye of the visitor, 
let him beware lest they catch his finger, for such is 
their power, they would roll it out longer than the tradi- 





aOLD AND SILVER FOUNDRY. 



tional finger of Time. After the removal of the bar of metal 
from the ingot mould it is ready for the operation of rolling. 
By means of readily-adjusted steel rollers, revolving one above 
the other, bars of metal are lengthened out and reduced, when 
necessary, to a ,. thickness less than that of thin 



paper. This is 
but by passing 



not done all at once, 
the metal many times 




through 
'"' the rollers, each successive 

operation making it thinner. 

■3. 

Metal spinning is ^n ingenious method 
by which a flat bit of metal is in a few moments fashioned 
into a cup or other piece of hollow ware without dies or cast- 
ing, without striking a blow by hammer or press. As the 
manipulation is fully described on page 34. we will leave it for 
the present and turn our attention to the chaser, who is busily 



engaged in ornamenting the base of a 
chalice. 

Chasing is an art that dates back 
to a very early period. Phidias and 
Polycletus. Greek sculptors who flourished 
before the Christian era, were celebrated 
for their skill in the art, and in modern 
times Benvenuto Cellini first attracted 
attention by his ability as a chaser and 
gold worker. The goldsmith's and silver- 
smith's work of the sixteenth century 
reached its greatest splendor and beauty 
in his hands. He represents the gold- 
smiths and the silversmiths of the 
Renaissance, as Michael Angelo and 
Raphael represent the painters and 
sculptors. At the age of thirteen Cellini 
was apprenticed to Michael Angelo. From 
him he went to the workshops of many 
goldsmiths in Florence, Pisa, Bologna, 
and Siena. At the age of nineteen he 
went to Rome, and some years later 
entered the service of Pope Clement VII., 
and worked for him for fourteen years. 
Afterward he took service with Cosmo dei 
Medici in Florence, for whom he under- 
took the mint, made beautiful jewels, and 






executed several important pieces of bronze sculpture. He covered 
the vessels he made with small figures, such as a chalice of 
gold ordered by Pope Clement VII., the cup of which was sup- 
ported by the theological virtues. His jewels were enriched/'",' 
with figures on a minute scale. A necklace containing a 
history of the Passion, with separate compositions in each 
of its links, is still shown as an example of his genius. 
A book of hours, the cover of which is ornamented 
with little figures and compositions in enameled gold, is * chock. 
attributed to him. A salt cellar of his workmanship is in the 
Museum of Vienna, and many rich and costly cups and vases 
made by him are still preserved. He was a contemporary and 
admirer of the great Italian artists of his day, and his art repre- 
sents the ideas then popular. 

Many of the greatest painters, sculptors, and architects of the 
revival received their education in art in the 
^k workshops of master goldsmiths. Francesco 

^ Francia, a goldsmith of Bologna, is 

spoken of for the excellence of his 
enameling on metal in relief. He 
was also celebrated as a sinker 
or cutter of dies for coinage and 
medals. He did not learn to paint 
tili after he had grown to manhood, 
/^'^ though it is as a painter that he after- 
ward became famous. His metal work, 
so far as we can judge of it from his 





SPINNING, 



CHASERS. 




paintings, like that of Botticelli, also a 
designer of metal work, partook of thr- 
tender and serious beauty that belonged 
to the earlier times. Domenico Ghir^ 
landajo. so called from the garlands he 
made of jewels for the Florentines, was 
trained under a goldsmith, though he is known to us by his 
paintings. A still more celebrated name is that of Andrea del 
Verrocchio. the master of Leonardo da Vinci in painting, and 
the sculptor of the statue of Bartolommeo Coleoni in front of 
the Church of SS. Giovanni e Paolo in Venice, the earliest and 
the grandest of modern equestrian statues. He was among the 
goldsmiths employed on the silver altar of St. John. He was 
sent for by Pope Sixtus IV. to restore the images of the 
Apostles in the pontifical chapel. Another goldsmith of great name 
was Ambrogio Foppa of Milan. He was skilled in the whole 
range of goldsmith's work, principally in enameling on relief and 
in medal cutting. Michelagnolo di Giuliana was a goldsmith of 
IJI Florence, much employed by Lorenzo and Giuliano de Medici, 
"*^ for whom he embossed armor, enamels, and jewelry of every 
kind. He was the first teacher of Benvenuto Cellini. 
We trust our readers will pardon this digression, which 
is merely to show the artistic standing of our art. 
Chasing is of two kinds : the one in which the artist 
creates by both brain and tool; the other in which he merely 
copies the design before him. In both instances, however, an artist 
is necessary, it being a question of excellence only, for the delicate 





touch which executes the finer kinds of chasing must, in all cases, 
be directed not only by skill and knowledge, but by that sort of 
culture known as " the artist instinct." 

Here is a chaser of unusual excellence. Let us watch him 
at his work. Taking the base of the chalice, he by gentle 
but repeated blows of his " snarling iron " on the inner side 

of the metal forces certain 
parts into relief, so that they 
stand much higher than the 
surface. This being done to 
his satisfaction, he fills the 
^ inside of the base with a 
composition of molten pitch 
dipped from the immense 
caldron in a steam oven 
where it is kept hot. The 
mixture soon cools, and be- 
coming solid forms a founda- 
tion which preserves the parts 
in relief. Now begins the actual work of chasing. The metal 
is not cut away, as in engraving, but by light taps of a ham- 
mer upon a simple tool, the chaser drives in the metal, and 
indents it until it assumes the desired pattern. Chasing is, 
necessarily, a slow operation, weeks of unremitting labor being 
frequently expended on a single piece of work, but when finished 
the exquisite beauty attained fully compensates for the time devoted 
to it. Many of the art treasures of the world consist of exquisite 







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examples of the chaser's art, their value depending 
many more times on the labor expended than on the 
metal of which they are made. Most of the art 
treasures in silver and gold which France possessed, 
however, were destroyed after the death of Louis XVI. 
The greater part of the ancient shrines, chalices, reliqua- 
ries, croziers, and other sacred utensils were seized by 
the commissioners and sent to the revolutionary mint. 
This was also the case in other countries. In Italy, 
Spain, and Malta, wherever the French armies were 
in possession, all which could not be removed 
or hidden was seized and sent to Paris. In 1810 
the French sent a commission to the Escurial. who took posses- 
sion of the treasures there, only allowing the friars to remove the 
relics from the reliquaries. They broke the caskets 
and jewels and threw the relics to the friars. 
It is impossible to describe the wanton destruction 
and robbery committed in the Spanish churches, 
where was destroyed the largest collection of art objects 
of gold and silver workmanship in Europe. From the 
Cathedral of Leon alone more than 10,000 lbs. weight 
of old silver was carried away. 

Some rich specimens of the art, in solid silver and in 

gold, have been executed in this department of our factory. 

In engraving, the metal is cut with a sharp tool, 

and this also calls for a high degree of skill and taste. 

Leaving the chaser and engraver, let us turn 








to the goldsmith and silversmith proper. He is 
the artificer who with his hammer fashions the 
metal into the required shape. Like all work 
done by hand, that of the silversmith is difficult 
and slow. See this one making the rays for 
an ostensorium. Before him is spread the 
artist's design. This he traces on the shin- 
ing metal, then begins to beat it into 
shape, and finally with hammer and 
i^ chisel cuts the rays to the required 

Ay. 

form. Then he solders them to a ring. 
' But don't confound this process with 
that of the tinsmith or the itinerant 
tinker. Soldering as applied to silver- 
smiths' work is an art which requires 
great care and practice to perform neatly 
and properly. It consists in uniting the 
various pieces of an article together at their 
ourF.Nc. junctions, edges, or surfaces by means of an alloy, 
specially prepared for the purpose, which is more fusible than the 
metal to be soldered. The solder must in every way be ) 

suited to the particular metal to which it is to 
be applied, and must possess a chemical affinity 
for it ; if this be not the case, strong, clean, and 
invisible connections cannot be effected, whilst 
the progress of the work would be consider- 
ably retarded. The best connections are 



i 



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made when the metal and the solder agree as nearly as possible 
in uniformity as regards fusibility, hardness, and malleability. Our 
solder is an alloy of silver. It is applied in a powdered state to 
the articles to be united; they are then placed on a furnace, 
covered with charcoal and sub- ? jected to the action of a blow- 
pipe from which is forced a ,^^^30^ current of gas mixed with 



air from a powerful steam 
In a few seconds the 
between the severa 
thoroughly that the 
any other place 

The work is 
" buffing," 
length on ^" :: 
and is ready 1^ 

with precious 
essary, as is often 

Goods not of gold 
be plated, go to the plating 
always good, is now, owing 
and superior methods, 
plating is an interesting 
have an opportunity to 
pecially for this work 
well ventilated room 
earthen jars, great 
chemicals, and electro 



v_:i. 






blower (see cut, page 34). 
,_^5older fuses, and running 
parts unites them so 
work will break in 
than on the joints. 
^ now cleaned by 
described at 
page 38, 
for mounting 
stones, if nec- 
required. 
or silver, that have to 
room Our plated ware, 
to our increased facilities 
vastly improved. Electro- 
process, and here we 
study it. Set apart es- 
is a brilliantly lighted, 
in which are huge 
tanks of water and of 
dynamos. The fumes 



of acids and the gases common to such a room are here, 
by proper apparatus, carried to the open air to be dis- 
sipated. The article to be plated is thoroughly cleaned, 
as any surface-impurity would spoil the success of the 
operation. It is first boiled in caustic potash to re- 
move all grease, then immersed in acid to remove 
any rust or oxide that may have formed, and lastly 
scoured with fine sand. It is now ready for the 
plating-bath of gold or silver, as the case may be. 
By means of a wire from a metal rod lying across 
the jar, the article to be plated is immersed in the solu- 
tion. A plate of pure metal, termed an anode, is suspended 
in the bath by a second wire ; the electric current is turned 
on and the pure metal is deposited on the suspended 
article. The thickness of the plate 
depends on the length of time the operation 
is continued. 

An experienced electro-plater can produce 
various shades of gold, such as light, dark, 
yellow, red, green, etc., on the one article, and 
the contrast is pleasing and beautiful. 
|4^:^'\ When the plated object is taken from, say, 

the silver bath, it appears dull and white, but its 
appearance is soon changed by scratch-brushing, un- 
less required to be left a dead white, when this 
process does not take place. Scratch-brushing 
is one of the indispensable and constantly re- 







curring operations of the electro-plater's art, and 
nearly always follows the plating, The instru- 
ment used for this purpose is called a scratch- 
brushy and its shape varies with the article it 
is to be used upon. Scratch-brushing is. 
seldom done dry ; the tool as we 
as the article operated on must 

BURNISHING. ^ 

be kept constantly wet with a solu 
tion which may set up a chemical action, but which 
generally acts merely as a lubricant, and at the same 
time carries away the impurities that the brush de- 
taches. The scratching removes the dull, white color 
from the surface of the metal and gives a character- 
istic brightness to the work of the silversmith. Scratch- 
brushing, while sometimes operated by hand, is gene- 
rally done by a fine brass-wire brush of circular form 
running upon a spindle and driven by a lathe. 

Burnishing is the next operation. It produces a 
polished surface, which reflects like a mirror, and gives 
the highest lustre ; it removes marks left by the pol- 
ishing mixtures, and produces a darker surface than 
the other modes of finishing. The tools employed for 
this process are extremely variable, and well adapted 
to the different kinds of work to which they are applied, 
but all must fulfill the requisite conditions of great 
hardness and a perfect polish ; they are of two kinds, 
one being of hard stone and the other of polished 




steel; they vary in shape, some being straight with rounded points 
or with curved and biunt edges, others with large rounded surfaces. 
The stone burnishers are made of blood-stone, mounted in a wooden 



handle. For very small ar- 
used, as they are of a finer 
variety of form are well adapt- 
nishing may be applied by 
large, plain object, as, for in- 
is placed on a 
form fastened to 
this is made rapidly to re- 
its surface a burnisher which 
polish to the cup. The bur- 
being burnished are frequently il 
some of which merely facilitate 
others have a chemical action 
burnished article. Smaller 
treated by hand ; no lathe 



tides steel burnishers only are 

make and by their greater 

ed to all kinds of work. Bur- 

either hand or machine. A 

stance, the cup of a chalice, 

wooden or metal 

a lathe, and while 

volve, the workman applies to 

soon communicates a brilliant 

nisher's tool and the article 

moistened with certain solutions, 

the sliding of the tool while 

which effects the shade of the 

and more delicate objects are 

is used, but careful and 

When the burnishing is com- 

is wiped with an old, soft. 




patient rubbing takes its place, 
pleted the surface of the article 
cotton rag; sawdust, hard cloth, and tissue paper produce streaks. 
The finish obtained by burnishing is satisfactory when the 
article reflects the luminous rays like a mirror. An expe- 
v^ rienced workman can produce wonderful effects of light and 
shade by skillful management of his burnisher. 
Finally, the several parts are put together, the whole is care- 
fully scrutinized, and if found right the article is finished. 




PATTERN VAULT. 



lEccIesiastical noctal mov\\. 

In this department are manufactured 
Candlesticks, Crucifixes. Candelabra, Sanctuary 
Lamps, Processional Crosses, Altar-Rails, Pul- 
pits, Memorial Tablets, and the hundred and 
one other Church goods which are made either 
to special order or for stock. 

Not many years ago it was thought impossible to make goods 
of this kind in this country which would compete in price and 
quality with the imported article. But there is no longer any 
question of it, for the products of our factory, while quite as 
cheap as the foreign articles, are fully equal in style, workman- 
ship, and durability. 

Of all the arts there is perhaps none so ancient as that of 
the artificer in brass, for from the earliest time every country has 
had its brass workers. Nearly six thousand years ago the metallic 
strata which cropped out from the mountain sides were fired, 
hammered, and rendered submissive to the will of the great father 
of metal workers. Tubal Cain. This extraordinary man gathered 
around him a school of artificers, and unceasingly labored to 
make them acquainted with the properties of brass, the mode of 
its reduction, and its application to his many invei^] |f tions. 
In early Hebrew writings we have such expressions " ' -^■~ 
as "mountains of brass," "brass molten from stone," 



PA-TTERN. 



from which some infer that the ancients obtained it in a native 
form. We are familiar with the word brass in its frequent appli- 
cation to statuary, bells, gates, and the like. It was a brazen 
serpent which Moses raised in the wilderness, Goliath ■' had a 
helmet of brass upon his head," and the swords, armor, and cooking 
utensils exhumed at Ninive are of brass. 

Heathen mythology, too, favored the brasier's 

art. Brass or bronze sta- tues were made in 

great quantities, and on them often depended 

the wealth of a state. 

Athens and Sj£\/v -^^ . Rhodes had 



m 



^t least ^, three thousand 

statues each. hi. nmgtfy- The famous 

Colossus of the ""-——'"'' a moolo. latter place, erected 

to Apollo three hundred years before Christ, measured 105 feet 
in height, took twelve years to execute, and cost the enormous 
sum of $590,000. The statue was destroyed by an earthquake 
fifty-six years after its erection, and remained buried for over 
nine hundred years, when it was sold by the Saracens to a 
Jew, who extricated from it nine hundred camel loads of brass. 
During the early ages of Christianity we find brass bells 
introduced into the church towers, to call the people to 
divine worship. The earliest traces of brass in Great 
Britain are found in the mediaeval monumental 
brasses over the tombs of civil and ecclesiastical dig- 
nitaries. These "brasses" were somewhat similar to 
the memorial tablets of to-day, with the exception that 



IM PLEM EISITS. 



they were generally let into the pavement above a tomb. They were 
not confined to England, but were common in France, Germany, 
Flanders, and the Netherlands. Unfortunately, the intrinsic value of 
the metal led to the wholesale spoliation of these interesting monu- 



ments. In France, 
the troubles of 
century were 
during the 
Terror. /' 




those that escaped 

the sixteenth 

swept away 

Reign of 

The fine 



memorials 

of the royal cAOTrM^. 

house of Saxony in the cathedrals 

of Weissen and Freiburg are the most artistic and striking brasses 

in Germany. Among the thirteenth century examples existing in 

Germany may be mentioned the full length memorials of Yso Von 

Welpe, bishop of Verden (1231). and of Bernard, bishop of Pader- 

born (1340). Many fine Flemish specimens still exist in Belgium. 



" Figure brasses" of 
both at Bruges and in 
figures engraved in the 
the background filled 
scroll work, and the 
around the edge 

Having 
duly impressed 
the importance of brass work- 




.n. 



Flemish origin are found 

England. They have the 

centre of a large plate, 

in with diapered or 

inscriptions placed 

of the plate. 

now, we trust, 

our readers with 

ing, let us pass to details. 



The very corner-stone of t -f^ this metal work department is 
the FOUNDRY. Leaving the first " K floor with its hum and whirl of 
machinery, we enter a large, s-'"^^- """" "^ntii^tpri room arrn^c; 
which grimy figures flit silenty 
under a vast skylight, men 



with what appears to be a 
fact, '-moulding sand." Pick- 
two open iron frames, the 
other by means of dowels, 
" flask," the moulder places 
proceeds to fill one frame 
W^/r a pattern of the 

■■ other frame is 





well ventilated room, across 

to and fro. To the right, 

are busy about a table filled 

rich, black earth, but is, in 

ing up a box composed of 

one fitting exactly on the 

and technically known as a 

it on a flat board and 

with sand ; in this he places 

article to be cast. The 

then put on, more sand 



is added until the pattern is well covered, and finally the 

moulder shovels in moist sand and rams it tight with a wooden 

rammer, till the flask can hold no more. It is then scraped 

flush, and pricked with a pointed wire, to give vent to 

the gas formed in pouring in the metal. A second flat 




'•'^^^' 




board is placed on the top like a lid, and 
both boards and flask are carefully turned 
f over ; what was the bottom part is then re- 

moved, showing the pattern im- bedded 

,^, ■ in the sand. The operation of .■«••■'' 

• \ ^ withdrawing the pattern is done i 

by slowly tapping it on all sides 
to relieve it from the sand, and 
then with a steady hand lifting it a die. 

out. If any of the sand be disturbed in doing 
this, the mould must be repaired; and any 
of the intended castings which are to have 
holes or hollows are supplied with pieces of 
well-baked sand called cores. The moulder 
having fixed these, he cuts passages, or channels of 
DROP PRtss. communication, between the pattern and the exterior of 
the flask for the admission of the molten metal. In ramming the 
flask some art and practice are required. If rammed too hard the 
generated gases do not escape freely, and air holes in the castings 
are the result ; if too soft, the pressure of the metal causes 
swellings on the castings. In either case they are useless. The 
mould being perfect, it is placed in position for the next step, that 
of casting. On the left side of the entrance, over against the wall, 
are vast furnaces sunk in the ground, their tops on a level 
with the floor. Down in these fiery caverns are the crucibles 
of molten brass. Grasping an enormous tongs, a sturdy ^ 

fellow throws open the furnace top, and reaches over ■ i 

A T t * 'i ^ 



^'i.i 







i 



IS' SINGLE ROW 



to seize a crucible. Standing thus over this sea of fire, his face 
and form lighted by the lambent flames, we are reminded of Vulcan 
in his palace on Olympus "brazen, shining like the stars." Lifting 
the pot of liquid metal to the surface and carrying it to the 

mould, the man (see page 25) tilts it over 
and pours the metal into the mould through 
holes, called gcihs, until it flows over, 
running like water on 
the brick floor. The 
work is done ; the 
crucible is returned 
to the furnace, 
the mould is opened, and the IS rough casting taken 

out and thrown into a tub of , ■ I , ;^ water to cool. 

To mould an article with ^^^■■wsb*-- ^ smooth surface is 
a very easy performance, but it is different with more complicated 
forms, such, for instance, as a statue or any piece in which certain 
parts are in high relief while other parts are greatly depressed. 
For such articles resort is had to what are termed /a/se cores. 
A core is that part of a mould which shapes the inside of a hollow 
casting, or which makes a hole through a casting. A false core is 
a piece built up separately from the mould proper, and can be dis- 
placed to allow the removal of the pattern. Suppose a small 
statue of Our Lord is to be moulded ; while it is easy enough 
to bury the pattern in the sand of the mould, it is impossible -■- 
to withdraw it without breaking the mould on account of the— _. 
depressed parts, such as under the chin, the space between 
"^ 29 








IS re- 



the arms and the body, where the sleeves of the gar- 
ment fall about the wrists, etc. To overcome this difficulty, 
only half of the statue pattern is moulded at first ; then 
the surface of the mould is polished, so as to be perfectly 
smooth, and the other parts are built up of as many separ- 
ate pieces as are necessary. The sand of these pieces is 
?T- packed tightly by being pressed into place and hammered, 

and when it has set, each piece can be removed at pleasure, 
and there is no longer any difficulty in taking the statue 

pattern out of the mould. When that 

moved the false cores are fastened in 

their places by pins, and the mould is 

ready for the metal. Sometimes a 

dozen, or even more, of these false 

cores are necessary. 

The original patterns from which 

castings are formed are made of 

wood, smoothed and varnished ; but 

for goods that are to be reproduced 

in quantities the patterns are 

moulded in brass, and carefully 

finished by the chaser. Some- 
times, too, the original pattern 

is of brass polished and finished 

with as much care as are the 

goods themselves. 

As will be readily understood. 




u , > 




%m2 


^^MH 


m T^w^ 


ffijS 


rjifP 


Hi 




•"■p 




5TOCK OF CHUCKS. 







these patterns are of great value to the manu- ^"^"' 
facturer, and as they represent a considerable outlay of time and 
money they are kept, each with its distinguishing number, in a 
spacious fire-proof vault adjoining the foundry. 

Beside the patterns, the dies are also kept here. There is a 
great difference between a pattern and a die. The one is in 
relief, the other is sunk. The one is used for casting, the 
other for striking up sheet metal, making medals, etc. A 
die is hollowed out of solid steel. It is the very reverse 
of the chaser's work, and yet produces a somewhat 
. similar effect, with this advantage, that, when finished, 
, it can by a single blow and in a moment's time 
do that which would cost a chaser hours, some- 
times weeks, of labor. Most of the smaller and 
finer ornaments on our goods are made by dies, and . 
they are also used to give the finishing touch to 
small castings. 

The die is worked by a press. For the heavier patterns 
on thick metal a drop press is used (see page 28); this 

32 




is a primitive sort of affair : being merely a heavy block of iron which 
falls from a height and by its weight drives the die into the metal. 
Though simple, it is wonderfully effective, and there is little prospect 



that it will be superseded by an^ 

The 
next attracts 

is a DRAW 

page 29),used 
ing wire. An 



more elaborate machine. 

machine which 

our attention 

BENCH (see 

for mak- 

oblong 




"^ 



PATTERNMAKEB 

AT FINISH. 



plate of hardened steel is set up on 

edge. This plate is pierced with a number of - conical 

holes, each of a different size, and each gradually ' diminishing in 
diam.eter until the smaller end is the size of the wire required. A strip 
of metal, pointed at one end, is placed through the largest hole, 
whereupon a clamp seizes it. and with irresistible power draws 

•g? it through one hole of the plate after another until it is reduced to 
■^_E^ the required size. The clamp is automatic and returns of itself to 

," seize the wire afresh when it has drawn it to the end of the bench. 






We have now reached one of the most interesting operations 
in our factory, that of metal spinning. The requisites for this 
work are a lathe, certain wood or metal forms, technically known 
as chucks, a blunt steel tool, and, facile priiiccps, an intelligent 
workman. A chuck of the required form being fastened to the 
lathe, the workman places on it a disk of metal : gold or silver, 



\ 



II 



•^^ 



^//.: 





SOLDERING. 



copper or brass, and starts the lathe. As it swiftly revolves he 
applies the tool and gradually bends the yielding metal against 
the chuck until it assumes every line and curve of the form. 
In this way a solid cup may be, and is, formed without seam 
of any kind, and yet, as we have before stated, without die or 
casting, without striking a blow. As there is no slight pressure 
brought to bear upon the chucks, they have to be made of very 




i^y^ 



fe>^>*ss*i*°' 



<m 



hard wood, and dogwood is chosen as best 
suited. But all wood being more or less porous, 
the metal is apt, at times, to show a certain 
roughness where it has sunk into the pores, and 
for that reason, as well as for their greater 
durability, iron chucks are sometimes used, 
especially for articles that are made in 
large quantities. 













^^jfii^'' 



The man we see at the other lathe 
is TURNING. His work is of such a 
multifarious character that a volume might 
f{ be devoted to it. He has to make all kinds of 

plain, spherical, and ornamental turning, which necessitate 
I a complication of lathes and tools. In the turner's hand 
the tool must never be allowed to rest, but must have 
^^i,. a proper rotation and a correct inclination to avoid 
furrowing the work. It is the turner who makes the 
" thread " of a screw ; bores lonj 
holes through solid rods of stee 
iron, or brass ; and converts un- 
shapely pieces of metal into forms 
, 't of use if not exactly of beauty. 

The work of chasing has already 
iifivi«v^?? Jill^^lv^x been described, but here are several 
^^^^^^'^^^itrj,^;^^^ chasers (see page 33) engaged 

■v^pattern making, working up solid 
metal into beautiful and fanciful 
36 







pr.m„r Cfm* /A \ 




iilljiiiiilllllllllliillllttliilg 



t.'A-' ^ « ^•^^'^i^j'iii Ji^^Jf-^ 



--«.. 






i\> i»t 



T 'iit *:\ 



forms, which the foundry will reproduce 

many, many times by casting. 

As will be seen, it requires men of 

many trades to complete what appears to be 

a very simple article. The casting as it 

drops from its mould in the foundry must 

pass through many hands before it becomes 

the beautiful, highly-polished candelabrum or 

crucifix. The die-sinker, the chaser, the 

turner, the burnisher, must each help 

towards its completion. Take this small 

figure of an angel, as an example ; at first 

it is in several parts, and rough parts at .''^■ /'* — -■ 

that, but this man files away the adhering, 

superfluous metal, while that one adjusts the wings and solders 
-V them in place, and so it passes from one 
to another until it stands finished in form 
and feature, a thing of art to delight the eye. 
One of the last operations before put- 
ting an article together is the buffing. The 
buffing or polishing machines in our factory 
occupy the half of one floor. The article 
to be polished is first cleaned by swiftly- 
revolving steel brushes which remove all 
foreign substances and brighten the metal. 
PPw It is then dipped in acid and in lye, to 

further clean it, and finally is ready for 



'V 

■i 





>i 






mm 



H\ 




i/ih 



^^^ 



polishing. This is done by means of a cotton wheel covered 
with roi/gc. The wheel is attached to a lathe and revolves 
with a high degree of velocity The dust and dirt generated by 
this machine are collected and drawn into pipes by a blower or 
" exhaust draught," as it is called, which carries the waste into 
large tanks of water, and thus keeps the floor free of the shav- 
ings and dirt thrown off by the buff. 

Not all that glitters is gold, and not all our brass work is 
gilt. Much of it owes its brilliancy and color to thorough burn- 
ishing or buffing and to lacquering. An article of brass that _is 
highly polished greatly resembles gold. To heighten this resem- 
blance and, in a measure, to prevent tarnishing, lacquering is re- 
sorted to. The polished goods are picked up very gingerly, so as 
not to impair their lustre, and treated to a coat of lacquer, a 
sort of varnish, of the required color. They are 

then placed in a drying oven, whence they 
are removed ready for mounting. 
i ' Mounting is the last step and 

: i one that requires a true eye, a 
r*i,[] steady hand, and good judgment. 



\ biifii 



iv^ 




BCNZIGER BROTHERS' DOUBLE ROW 
PATENT CANDELABRAS 



DRYING OVEN. 



Look at these men "mounting" an altar-rail. How closely they 
scrutinize each piece to see that it has its proper finish ; how 
carefully they put the parts together, testing the screws, turning 
them back and forth, to assure themselves that -^ all run 
smoothly ; and, finally, fitting the separ- 
ate parts one to another until the 

entire rail stands completed, just as -^i i ^^* > ' I' ' ^ JJI 
it will appear when in its destined 
place in the church. 






"/- 



Just here we 
add a few 
regard to 




.^ might 
words in 
the great 
growth of the metal 
altar-rail. Until 

within a few years such 
thing was -hardly known. 
Only the heavy, architecturally 
_^***^*«^&<r> severe wooden rail was to be seen 
in our churches, but now, thanks 
to the ever-increasing appreciation of 
the beautiful which marks our age, 
this unsightly object has given way to 
the lighter metal rail, made in a variety of graceful and artistic 
designs. 

We are devoting special attention to the manufacture of these 
metal altar-rails, and among the many patterns, of our own exclu- 
sive design, are some of rare grace and beauty. 

40 



SETTING AN ALTP 



% 





"©epartmcnt 

The manufacture 
of gold and silver 
medals has, within a 
few years, grown to be 
a feature of our busi- 
ness, and we are no 
longer obliged as formerly 
to go abroad for our supply. Medals are of 
two periods, ancient and modern. To the former 
belong those issued from the mint of ancient Rome, 
to commemorate some notable event in the history of 
the nation, and the beautiful medals of the ancient Greeks and Sicil- 
ians. Modern medals begin with the fourteenth century, but most of 
them were not struck until a century later. Most European nations pos- 
sess a succession of medals from the fifteenth century onwards. The 
best in point of design of the fifteenth century medals are those made 
by Victor Pisani. The medals of the Popes form an unbroken series 
from the time of Pope Paul 11.. who occupied the throne of Peter 
from 1464 to 1471; their reverse generally bears the cross-keys 
and mitre, while on the obverse is the head of the reigning Pope. 
Some of the medals of Julius II., Leo X., and Clement VII. 
have an especial value as having been designed by Raphael and 
Giulio Romano and engraved by Benvenuto Cellini. France produced 



EMBOSSING PRESS. 



/?^.^ 



few medals prior to the time of Louis XIV. The Span 

r 
ish medals begin with Gonsalvo, about the year 1500. 

Jand produced one of the earliest of modern medals, 

by David 11. English medals begin with Henry VIII. 

in America, we have a series of beautiful bronze 

struck by the Philadelphia mint, each bearing 

one of our Presidents, from the time of 

down to the present day. The Church 

wearing of medals bearing religious 

to show the faith and fealty of her 

nently the most popular of all 

lous Medal of the Blessed Vir- 

many other medals approved 



Scot 

struck 

Here, 

medals 

the head of 

Washington 

commends the 

emblems as badges, 

children. Preemi- 

medals is the Miracu- 

gin. Though there are 

and blessed by the Church 

with this little symbol of 




there is none to compare 
our confidence in our 




Immaculate Mother. 

The manufacture of medals 
vices of an accomplished die-sinker 
elaborate machines. The metal is first 
required thickness by the rolling press, 

through steel roller-dies which em- 
' '■*" _ it the outlines of the medal, cut into 

by another press, and finally stamped 
the full impression. Soldering on the 
rings, cleaning the medals and gathering 
A DIE. them into dozens, are still further operations 
necessary before they can be sent to our salesrooms. 



calls for the ser- 

and several 

brought to the 

then passed 

boss on 

shape 

with 



am 



power 




XiQbt. 



In the basement is 
the motive power. This 
is supplied by two large 

boilers and a Ball and Wood high- ^^^ -• - speed automatic 

engine. This engine drives a dynamo of 55 kilo watts, equal to 
74 horse power, and this, in turn, supplies the different motors in 
the building. Electricity as a motive power, though a new departure, 
is in every way practicable, for it not only dispenses, to a great 
extent, with shafts and belting, but does away with the necessity 
of cutting the floors through which to run them. The motors 
vary in horse power, and as each group of machinery has its own 
motor, one may be shut off, when not in use, without stopping the 
whole of the running gear. Electricity is also used to run our freight 
elevator, and, what is still more important, to light the factory. To 
the latter purpose 300 incandescent lamps, each of 16 candle power, 
contribute, beside a large arc light used in the foundry. The same 
power drives the ••exhaust" which carries off the dust and dirt. 




GOLD MEDAL 
OF VATICAN EXPOSITIO 



lEwoeit'ione. 

In the Vatican Exposition of 1887, with 
the whole world of Church goods manufacturers 
represented, we were not only accorded The Diploma of Honor, 
the highest kind of award bestowed, which carries at the same 
time the right to the gold medal, but we afterwards received a 
still further proof of the merits of our manufactures, and to us 
a still higher honor, in the conferring on us by His Holiness 
Pope Leo XIII. of the title 

" Pontifical Institute of Christian Art," 
with the right to the use of the Papal Arms. 

Visitors to the Columbian Exposition of 1893, in Chicago, 
may recall our pavilion, near the centre of the large building 
of Manufactures and Liberal Arts, in which we had a rich dis- 
play of the goods made in our factory. For this exhibit we 
received the highest award given at the Exposition, viz: the 
diploma, and the award for ,~'^ 
"High -class workmanship in ^■' 
the production of gold and /" .^..A i leone xiii 




fc-l2lrtdMt>»lai.il^%imM^M 



silver and plated Church ware, d KlJ Bii % 

and in the adherence in their ^ISO •-«, .•«.>'■.»■ ^**H 




production to the true ecclesi- ^S^^ ^^ 1^-;' '"^'"' \ %: 

astical style." Our pavilion '^-^-^ 
occupied a prominent position in the 



main transverse aisle. The large octagonal case contained some 
very remarkable examples of the work done in our Silversmiths' 
Department, ranging from plain chalices, ciboriums, etc., to the 
finest specimens of the art finished in rich repousse work. In 
the centre stood a Gothic ostensorium, 40 inches in height, 
designed and made expressly for the Exposition, an illustration of 
which is on page 11. The great objection to such a large size 
lies in the fact that it is generally too heavy for practical use. 
This was overcome, however, and the ostensorium rendered com- 
paratively light, by making the columns which support the 
baldachins hollow, and making them by hand instead of casting 
them. The large case at the rear exhibited specimens of the 
I skill of our Metal Work Department, from candlesticks and 
X candelabra of the smallest size, intended for chapels, to the 
very largest kinds suitable for cathedrals. 




IN EXPOSITION, CHICAGO. 



®ur Salcsroome an^ our Catalooucs. 



A visit to our salesrooms will give a still clearer 
facilities we possess for manufacturing everything 
connected with our business, for there will be 
found in endless variety a complete stock c 
Church goods of every description. 

The New York house, founded in 1853, 
occupies the entire building Nos 36 and 38 
Barclay Street ; the Cincinnati house, estab- 
lished in 1860, is at 143 Main Street, and 
the Chicago house, the youngest, dating back 
only to 1887, is at 178 Monroe Street. 

Besides the goods already enumerated, 
we carry a complete assortment of Regalia, 
made in our own embroidery department. 
Statues, Stations of the Cross, Stained-Glass 
Windows, and the Rosaries, Crucifixes, and 
sundry other things which come under the 
head of ■ Religious Articles." 

In addition to our own publications, which 
embrace 
m i sc e 1 1 a- 
neous books, 
school-books, 
and prayer- 



idea of the 









I 


(k>^/"'- 


^mr "^mr / 


z 


t 



books, we keep a full line of the publications of other 
Catholic houses, American and foreign, of which we shall always be 
glad to furnish our customers with catalogues. Though our travel- 
ing agents visit our customers regularly, they must, in the selection 
of goods, rely in a great measure on our Catalogues. We 
therefore call especial attention to the Catalogue of our manu- 



factures, which rep 
everything new in 
Church, in the 




resents fully not only 

the service of the 

many styles, but 



1 



il 




*.; r r > 



HI \7IGKIUilU) 

-e.r:r.w»»»---.yy 



■if 



'jNCimAr/, 13 *«//» ^ 



gives a 

great number of pat- 




CmCA60. ifS /io/tAO£ Stu. 

Clear notion of the 
terns always in stock. 



Our first illustrated Catalogue, published about 1864, when we 
began the business, contains about 50 articles of our own make. 
Since then our illustrated Catalogues, issued at regular intervals, 
have gradually increased in size, new goods being added and old 
ones dropped, until in the Complete Catalogue of manufactures 
of 1892 there appear no less than 898 illustrations. 






65-7/ 
7 




"High) class workmanstiip in the prcduction ol gold and silver and plated ware, and 
iri the adherance in tlieir productions to the true ecclesiastical style." — "l\\e enibroidered 
Church Banner is entitled to the higl^est commendation for its excellent merit." 

Official copy of award to Benziger Brothers froni 

World's Columbian Exposition, Chicago, 1893. 



^ 



